Dolphins offensive coordinator Bill Lazor wouldn’t say if Knowshon Moreno or Lamar Miller will emerge as the team’s No. 1 running back, but he gave a few thoughts on how he feels about them.

Moreno, who is recovering from an offseason knee scope, shined in one his preseason game against Dallas.

“I just think I want to see the guy be productive,” Lazor said of Moreno. “You can’t argue with the fact that in the amount of time he’s been on the field for us he has been.”

Lazor said he’s some flashes from Miller in practice “that tells me where we’re heading” but that preseason production was lacking.

“I think what Lamar is improving at right now and I expect him to continue to grow is to be decisive from the backfield,” Lazor said. “I have no doubts about how explosive and productive he can be in space and there might be some schemes that are a little bit different for him. The more reps he gets, the more decisive he is from the backfield.”

Lazor said he “feels great” about Moreno’s health.

“I feel great about where he is,” Lazor said. “I felt great about how he played against Dallas. And I’m looking forward to seeing more of it.”

Coach Joe Philbin was diplomatic when asked if Moreno is the better fit to carry the load at the end of the game.

“We have to get the feel for the game, too,” Philbin said. “I think it’s hard to say, ‘Yeah, he’s definitely the guy at the end of the game or conversely that Lamar is definitely the guy.’ Sometimes in games, each game has its own little character and story and you kind of have to get a feel for it. Maybe one guy has a particularly hot hand that day, so we’ll kind of keep an open mind in that regard.”

– When asked if there’s a reason we haven’t seen a most fast-paced offense in the preseason, Lazor smiled and simply said “Yes.”

“I think we have certain decisions we have to make and the strategy of how we’d like to approach each game,” Lazor said later. “We’ll probably keep those to ourselves.”

– When asked about his players’ comfort level adjusting to the offense and having to go up against a team like New England on Sunday, Lazor said adjustment time is over.

“I don’t think of it as adjusting anymore,” he said. “I think we’re here, we’ve been working at it a long time. We’ve put a lot of time and effort in, players and coaches. This is who we are and it’s our turn now to step out and prove it.”

– On the personality of Miami’s offense, Lazor said it’s all about scoring points.

“There are a lot of ways to do it,” he said. “Some weeks we’re going to do it running the ball more. Some weeks we’re going to do it throwing it more. But every single guy that gets the ball in his hand has got to run with a certain kind of attitude and every guy that’s blocking has got to block with a certain kind of attitude. And this weekend I think the players will have the ability to show that.”

“I think as far as his personal individual ability I think we’ve seen him work to be decisive and to be on time, to get the ball out of his hand,” Lazor said. “I think in games he’s proven that he can do that, he knows what to do, he’s getting the ball off on time. That’ll be a continual process. It’s not just him, it’s everybody.”

– While the offensive line struggled in the preseason to run block, Lazor said the run blocking was much improved in the third preseason game against Dallas. Overall, he said he feels confident in the line and that the attitude is a big part of it.

“I like the fact when you walk in the room, when you talk to them, if we make an error, if you come out of a game or off the practice field and you talk about something that needs to be fixed, you very quickly get the sense that they’re all together, that they agree with you, that they understand what you’re talking about and that they quickly get resolved that ‘Yeah, we’re going to get this thing fixed,'” Lazor said. “I feel like it’s a unit.”

“We have some new people that we have to see operate in a real game, live bullets,” he said. “I think the preseason has given us a good glimpse of it so we have a pretty fair idea of where we’re headed. I think there’s a lot that still needs to be developed.

“It’s time to go right now and I think the guys have proven to us on the practice field, the preseason game field they can get it done, that’s who we’ve got to go with. It’s time to put up some points.”

– There is no doubt Lazor is confident in rookie receiver Jarvis Landry.

“I have no concerns about Jarvis being ready to play,” Lazor said. “I think from the day he’s walked out on the practice field he’s shown that he’s prepared. I think in every preseason game he’s played at a high level. I think Jarvis is ready to play.”

– Last year the Patriots were able to contain tight end Charles Clay. But Lazor said “there are very few pass plays that are designed to only go to one person.”

“We’ve seen the film from last year,” he said. “We know what plans have come against us. We know what’s worked against certain people. And hopefully all the time we’re spending in the meeting rooms we’re doing the right things as far as how we’re playing against it. There’s no doubt about it when certain guys are taken out by double coverage for whatever reason others have to step up and they understand that.”

– On defense, Coyle said he’s not surprised that Pats tight end Rob Gronkowski will play on Sunday. That Dolphins have struggled under Coyle to stop tight ends.

“Any of the big tight ends that you face, guys of that caliber that can create mismatches in man-to-man, body up against smaller defensive backs or even smaller linebackers becomes an issue,” Coyle said. “He’s also been a big target for them in the red zone. If he plays and how much he plays, we don’t know how much that will be, but that’s not going to change what we do.”

– A lot has been made of Miami’s struggles at linebackers and the fact that the team merely shuffled the starters around this offseason instead of replacing them. But Coyle said he was especially pleased what middle linebacker Koa Misi showed in the season preseason game after he played through an illness in the first exhibition game. Coyle also said he expects Miami’s reserve linebackers to play a role this season.

“I think (Misi) was in on about six hits in 23 plays or something of that nature. He was very active,” Coyle said. “I think Dannell (Ellerbe) is comfortable where he is. We’ve seen productivity out of Philip (Wheeler), both in defending the run and also pressuring the quarterback, as well as the backup guys. We’ve gotten a lot of cross-training done. We’ve added some depth by doing that throughout training camp and you have to see some of that as we get into the early part of the season.”

– Coyle said he will continue to play defensive end Derrick Shelby at tackle as well.

“We’ve nicknamed him Trigger because every time Derrick gets in the game he just makes plays,” Coyle said. “He’s so consistent. He’s a hard worker, nothing flashy, but you like to have guys like that. He’s played both spots and he’s played well at both spots. He gives us some versatility there. He’s a very valuable part of our defensive front.”

– When asked if cornerback Will Davis has surpassed Jamar Taylor as the extra guy in the nickle package, Coyle said not necessarily.

“In some of our packages you’ll see Will and in others you may see Jamar,” Coyle said.

– With Dion Jordan suspended for four games, Coyle said Shelby, rookie defensive end Terrence Fede and rookie linebacker Chris McCain will all contribute as pass rushers.

“Early in the season, particularly down here, you’re going to have to go into games where you’re going to roll people through,” Coyle said. “It’s hard to play 60, 70 plays in the conditions that we’ll be playing, especially in a game if you’re going to have to rush the passer and extend that type of energy. There’ll be different guys rolling through and those guys will certainly be part of it.”

– On special teams, Philbin said he still hasn’t decided yet who will replace Marcus Thigpen as the team’s kick and punt returner. Landry and running backs Damien Williams and Orleans Darkwa are in the running.

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Coincidence ? I think not. Belicheck will go through every aspect of the Phins defense and some of the offense with Jones. Heck Belicheck will probably put Jones in a medically induced coma so he can really pick his brains. Remember this is the guy that got caught cheating by the NFL a couple of years ago.

[…] Dolphins OC Bill Lazor talks competition between Moreno and Miller, fast-paced offense | The Daily D… Dolphins offensive coordinator Bill Lazor wouldn’t say if Knowshon Moreno or Lamar Miller will emerge as the team’s No. 1 running back, but he gave a few thoughts on how he feels about them. Moreno, who is recovering from an offseason knee scope, shined in one his preseason game against Dallas. […]